1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for forming a film, particularly to a film processing apparatus (processing method) using a droplet discharge device.
2. Related Art
An ink-jet device, which is an example of a droplet discharge device, discharges a liquid (solution) that is stored inside from a nozzle opening which is placed at the bottom of a pressure chamber by pressurizing the pressure chamber through a piezoelectric element. Such ink-jet devices are widely used in industry not only for an ink-jet printer but also for a discharging operation in a manufacturing process, for example, in the fabrication process of a color filter for a display.
An ink-jet device for industrial use discharges various kinds of liquid. For example, there is a solution which reacts with oxygen in the air and whose quality can be deteriorated.
JP-A-2003-84124 is an example of related art. The example discloses an ink-jet device in which an ink-jet head (22) and the like are covered in a cover 14 as shown in FIG. 5 of the example.
Techniques for preventing the deterioration or change in the quality of a discharge liquid have been studied, and for example a technique in which discharge of an ink-jet is performed under an inactive gas atmosphere has been investigated. Looking at the equipment disclosed in the example in this aspect, the whole equipment is covered so that it takes time to purge the inactive gas (replace the gas inside). Consequently the usage of the inactive gas is increased and the manufacturing cost is also increased. This problem becomes more prominent when a substrate size becomes larger.